Journal-bearing for centrifugal machines



,(NO Model.)

l. J. C. POLAND.

JOURNAL BEA-RING FOR GENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

I Q l l lllll n llllllll lllllllll l lllll lllllllll WlTNEssEs NITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOHN O. POLAND, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

JOURNAL-BEARING FOR CENTRIFvUGAL MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 370.887, dated October 4, 1887. v Application filed Novrmber 26, 1886. Serial No. 219,903. (No model.)

Eb all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. POLAND, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in J ournal-Bearings for Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to j carnal-bearings or holsters andV steps for centrifugal machines, and more particularly to such contrivances employed in laundry purposes for drying or throwing off water from clothing.

Itis the object of my invention to provide improved means for supporting the shaft-carrying basket to enable it to better accommodate itself in its revolutions to uneven strain or an unevenly-balancedload, securing steadiness of movement and ease of operation, attaining these ends at the same time with means simple in construction and easily and cheaply manufactured.

My `invention consists in the improvements hereinafter described and claimed, whereby spindles so mounted or constructed and arranged as to have freedom of motion in all directions within certain limits may be better supported than heretofore.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawing, which represents a vertical sectional elevation of a centrifugal machine embodying my invention,which drawing forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing, a represents the base of the machine, b the casing, c c standards secured to the base for supporting the casing', and d th e perforated basket or receptacle for the clothing or otherv material to be operated upon, all as common in centrifugal machines of this class.

The revoluble shaft or spindle e, for operating the basket d, is rigidly secured at its upper end tothe latter, and is seated at its lower end in a combined bolster and step, f, provided at its upper end with a spherical enlargement, g, resting in a bolster case or tube, 7L, forming a part of or secured to the base a. The portion ofthe combined bolster and step f below the spherical enlargement g extends into an en largedchamber, fi, formed in the case or tube h, and said spherical enlargement g is, as shown, so seated in said case or tube as to permit of perfect freedom of motion in all directions within certain limits. The shaft c is stepped upon a plurality of disks, j, of steel or other hard substance, loosely arranged in the bolster, so that they may be revolved therein, with the exception of the lowermost one, j', which I prefer to have rigidly fixed in the bolster, or so arranged that it cannot be revolved.

The making of the bolster and step asa single piece or part, as described, constitutes an important feature of my invention, since ifthe spindle should be drawn or thrown out of eX- act vertical position in assuming an axis of ro tation accommodated to an unequal loadin the basket, or from other cause, the step, without obstruction of any kind or character, will accommodate itself to the position of the spindle.

7c indicates a whirl or pulley fixed atits upper end to the shaft or spindle e, and surrounding the upper end of the bolster case or tube h, so as to bring the line of the pull of the belt (not shown) intended to pass over the whirl to operate the device in line with the center of the enlarged spherical part g of the bolster-casey. The shaft or spindle e is supported near its upper end ina bearing, m, formed in the upper end of an arm, n, extending out and down around the whirl Z and its adjuncts and inward under the basca to apoint directly under the case or tube 7L, where the lower end of said arm is enlarged and rounded, s0 as to fit loosely within a chamber formed in a downward extension, o, formed on the base, and be clamped between two disks or cushions, .p p, of rubber or other yielding material, by a screw-bolt, q, passing through said cushioning-disks and a hole formed in said enlarged rounded end of the arm n, and screwing into the base c. A washer, r, arranged between the under surface of the lower cushioning-disk, p, and the head of the screw-bolt g, serves to make the clamping pressure bear evenly on the clamping-disks, and the combi ned devices at this point provide means whereby the supporting-arm u can be secured to the base a with greater or less rigidity, so as to permit of greater` or less lateral motion of the foot-step of the shaft or spindle c i'n finding the true center of rotation, in order to ac# commodate itself to an unevenly-balanced load or uneven strain put upon it from any cause.

Different circumstances require that the arm a should be held with different degrees of ri gidity, and the means here shown for such needs are at once simple, efficient, and easy of operation. It is also to be mentioned that by constructing arm a as shown, so as to secure it to the base or frame below the step of the revoluble shaft or spindle, the elastic or cushioning qualities of the disks p p may be fully utilized-that is, the yielding qualities of said disks, both laterally as well as vertically, are brought into play, permitting motion of the arm to a limited 'extent in all directions in the operation of the machine,which would not be the case if said arm were secured by substantially the same means to the frame at one side of the spindle or its step.

The entire contrivance is composed of few parts, rendering it simple in construction and cheap of manufacture,wl1ile it is also compact in form, so as to bring it Within the smallest compass within the bounds of efficiency.

It is of course obvious that the precise form and arrangement of parts shown are not essential to my invention, as these may be varied without departing from the nature or spiritof the improvements. f

I am aware of United States Letters Patent No. 225,600, granted March 16, 1880, which discovers a ball-and-soeket step or support for the bottom of the spindle, the bolster-that is, the upperlateral bearing for the spindle-conA sisting of a sleeve made separate and independent from the step,whieh sleeve or its associated parts are cushioned with a disk of rubber. I therefore do not broadly claim anything shown in said patent,eonfining myself to the construction pointed out in the claim, in which the combined bolster and step enters as an element and forms the major part of the lateral support for the spindle, as Well also as its vertical support, the spherical enlargement being at a centralpoint on the bolster and the step located at a considerable distance therebelow. A

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is The rotary shaft or spindle, in combination with a bolster and step therefor adapted to permit of the spindle having freedom of motion in all directions within certain limits, and arm n, adapted at its upper free end to form a bearing or support for said shaft or spindle and exibly secured at its lower end, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 23d day of November, 1886.

JOHN C.. POLAND.

Wtnessesz C. F. BROWN,

ARTHUR XV. CRossLEY. 

